The present invention relates to dust collecting and in particular to a retractable dust collector which attaches to a hand held drill.
Drilling operations are often performed in either a clean environment where dust control is important or even essential, or in a manner which allows material removed by the drill to fall towards the drill user thus annoying or obstructing the vision of the drill user. In particular, when drilling overhead, material often falls onto a drill user's face or clothing. Such material is often sharp and/or hot.
Known apparatus provides a partial solution to this problem. For Example, US Patent Application Serial No. 2004/0141820 for “Debris Catching Device for Abrasive and Cutting Tools” discloses a bowl held against an overhead surface, and a drill or hole saw operated inside the bowl from a drill below the bowl. Unfortunately, the view of the working area is obstructed or distorted by having to look through the bowl, and the drill user may have difficulty guiding the drilling or cutting. U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,674 for “Dust Collecting Assembly for Drilling Tools” is similar to the apparatus of the '820 application, additionally including a vacuum cleaner attachment, but the problems of the '820 application remain to at least some degree.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,396,193 for “Dust Collector for Drill” discloses a dust collector having a clear cylindrical solid portion and a flexible diaphragm like end allowing entry of an electric drill into the cylinder. As in the case with the '820 application and the '674 patents, the presence of the solid cylinder obstructs or distorts the drill user's view of the work area.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,887,146 for “Dust Extraction Shroud for a Power Tool” discloses a small cylindrical device creating a closed chamber around/over a work area, and including a suction source for capturing material released during drilling and/or cutting. Unfortunately, the apparatus of the '146 patent obstructs viewing the work to some extent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,061,123 for “Dust Collector Adaptor for Electric Drills” discloses a small collapsible cylinder over the drill chuck and bit and reaching forward to the work material surface to contain material released during drilling and/or cutting. Unfortunately, the device of the '123 patent also obstructs viewing the work to some extent.
Therefore, a need remains for a dust collecting apparatus which facilitates an unobstructed view of the work area when aligning a drill or hole saw.